


The Outlier

by nixajane



Series: The Differentials Series [2]
Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sexual Content, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-02-14
Updated: 2012-03-08
Packaged: 2017-10-31 04:41:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/339983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nixajane/pseuds/nixajane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After rescuing Erik, Charles' power is spiraling out of control. It only grows worse when he receives a message from a young telepathic girl, as he's far more interested in finding her than fixing himself. The trouble is, he's not the only one looking for her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1

The whole mansion comes awake at once. 

Erik reaches instantly for Charles, but his arms slides across the empty bed. He pushes himself up, glancing around the room. Charles isn't there, but in a flash of smoke, Azazel appears at the end of the bed, looking disapproving. 

"He's losing control," Azazel says. "This is the third time this week." 

Erik runs a hand down his face. "Don't you know how to knock?" he asks. 

"I don't need to knock," Azazel snaps. "I don't use doors." 

In another flash, Azazel is gone, and Erik drags himself to his feet. There is an echo of something bouncing around the back of his mind, remnants of whatever power has brought him awake. Charles isn't doing it on purpose—but ever since he had come to Erik's rescue, his powers had been spiraling out of his control. 

If he's in a good mood, the whole mansion is in a good mood. If he isn't in a good mood, Hank and Azazel tend to start trying to kill one another, while Angel stands off with Alex and Sean. And if he's wide-awake, everyone else can expect to be too. 

When Charles had gone walking into that CIA base to get him out, he had let his amazing power free without any restraint for maybe the first time in his life, and it was beginning to look like that power wasn't so easy to put back in its box. 

He grabs a black t-shirt off the floor and pulls it over his head, not bothering with shoes as he exits into the hall. Raven is waiting for him, tapping one foot, and biting the tips of her pink nails. He's noticed that she tends to revert to her pretty blond disguise when she worries about Charles, which lately, has been most of the time. 

"We've got to do something," she says at once. "He's never been like this. Never. He's—" 

"Do you think I don't know that?" Erik snaps. "What is it you expect me to do?" 

Raven gives him a dark look, which Erik interprets to mean, 'you broke him, you fix him.' "I'll speak to him," Erik assures her, before running a hand roughly through his hair. "As soon as I find him." 

Raven purses her lips and crosses her arms, before tilting her head down the hall to the left. "Hank finished fixing Cerebro last night," she says. "Stop him, Erik, before he kills himself. He won't listen to me." 

"Son of a bitch," Erik snaps, storming down the hall. "I'll kill him myself." 

Erik makes his way down to the basement level that Hank had taken for his labs, opening the doors to the room that houses Cerebro when he was still ten feet from it. He can just see Charles through the doors, lifting Cerebro down on his head. 

Erik narrows his eyes and freezes the helmet in place. Charles tugs at it for a moment in frustration before his eyes shoot straight to Erik's in disapproval. "Erik," he says, letting go of the helmet and walking to meet him at the doors. "What are you doing up?" 

"Everyone's awake. You woke us," Erik says. "Again." 

"Did I?" Charles asks, frowning slightly as he turns back to Cerebro. "I'm sorry about that. I suppose I was thinking rather loudly, but Erik, it's the most incredible thing—" 

"I don't care," Erik snaps. "You need sleep. We all do." 

"I'm not the least bit tired," Charles says. "But I'll keep my thoughts to myself, so you can go back to bed. I won't disturb you again, it's just I really couldn’t help it before. I met someone rather unexpectedly." 

"You met someone?" Erik repeats in disbelief, eyes narrowing. "In the basement?" 

"Don't be ridiculous," Charles says. "In my head. Which is why I came down here, because our conversation ended rather abruptly and I'd very much like to speak with her again." 

"Speak to who exactly?" Erik asks warily. 

"You know, I'm not quite sure," Charles says reluctantly. "I was woken up myself, you know, and the power—she has such range, I would need Cerebro to reach that far and she did it in her sleep. Quite literally. She was asleep."

"Charles, you're not making any sense," Erik snaps tiredly. 

"Apparently, I've been projecting," Charles starts. 

"Yes, we all know," Erik says. "We've been slaves to your moods for the last few days." 

"Right, sorry about that," Charles says, scrunching up his face. "Well, it seems you aren't the only ones. She heard me too. And she shouldn't have, because she's much too far away." 

"Another telepath?" Erik says, catching on. "You think it was Frost?" 

Charles snorts. "She's far more powerful than Frost," he says. "Erik, she's far more powerful than me." 

Erik gives a small grin. "I find that hard to believe," he says. 

"Okay, not quite, maybe," Charles says, frowning a bit. "But it's only a matter of time. I suspect at the moment she's not much older than six. Her power is growing at a considerable rate." 

"And you were just about to climb into Cerebro and say hi?" Erik asks in disbelief. 

"Why not?" Charles asks. "I think it's only polite." 

Erik grabs Charles arm, and pulls him out of the room, before waving a hand at the doors to slam them shut and lock them. Charles gives him a bewildered look. "What did you do that for?" Charles asks. 

"Hank told me about what happened with Cerebro when you tried to find me," Erik says. "I thought we agreed you wouldn't use it unsupervised anymore." 

"Actually, you said, you're not allowed to use it unsupervised anymore," Charles says. "And I only agreed with you so you'd stop going on about it, but I'm not a child, and I'm perfectly capable—"  
"It's not going to happen," Erik says firmly.

"Well, you can watch if you want to," Charles tells him, grinning slyly. "I don't mind." 

"Okay, let me rephrase," Erik says. "You're not going in there at all until you have a better control over your power." 

Charles narrows his eyes, and Erik feels a headache start in the back of his mind, building until his temples began to throb. "Charles," he says in warning. "Stop it." 

"Stop what?" Charles demands, pulling away. "Open the doors." 

"No," Erik says. "And calm yourself down. You've going to give us all migraines." 

"I would do no such thing," Charles protests. 

Erik backs Charles up against the door, framing his face and tilting his head up. "Close your eyes and concentrate," he says gently. "Look at what you're doing. You're all over the place, Charles."

Charles does as he's told, closing his eyes and reaching out. He feels the other minds: Raven, Hank, Alex, Sean, Azazel, Riptide and Angel—and Erik, of course, blazing right in front of him. He can feel their worry and their fear, and he can see his own anger and fear inside them too, placed there by accident. 

Erik sees the moment Charles realizes what he's done, and his presence snaps out of his mind at once. The headache disappears like it was never there. 

"Sorry," Charles gasps. "I didn't realize it had gotten this bad." 

"But you know something," Erik says firmly, forcing Charles to look at him again. "What's going on? What's wrong?" 

"The night . . . the night you came to me, in the dream. Well, as you know, I went to Cerebro, to find you," Charles says. "I used too much power. Too much in Cerebro, too much in myself. I knew what I had to do, and I couldn't do it unless I—" 

"Unless you what?" Erik demands, giving Charles a slight shake. "What have you done?" 

"I had to rip down my shields," Charles says quietly. "I had to strip away all my control. It was the only way I could have taken on so many minds in such short notice, because I didn't have the time to do it gently. It shouldn't have been a problem, except I can't get them back up properly." 

"And you were just going to wander right back into Cerebro?" Erik demands. 

"I have to!" Charles says. "The girl, she's trying to get in contact, I have to talk to her." 

"If anything this is proof that you're vulnerable right now, left open to just any telepath that might wander by," Erik snaps. "What did this girl want from you?" 

"She doesn't want anything. It isn't like that exactly," Charles says. "I’m projecting, like I said. She felt it, and reached back. That's all. And she's powerful, Erik, I mean, like I haven't ever seen. We need to find her." 

"We need to do nothing of the sort," Erik snaps. "Right now my biggest worry is you. What do you need to get your shields back up like they were before?" 

Charles rolls his eyes in irritation, before pulling away from Erik. "I've got it under control," he says. "And maybe I don't want them up like they were before." 

"Because this is working out so well?" Erik asks. 

Charles glares at him. "I'm testing my limits, is all," he says. "I'm sorry if I've caused any of you pain, I won't let it happen again." 

"I'm not worried about that," Erik says in frustration. "I worry about you." 

"I am fine," Charles promises. "Truly, I am. You're safe and that's all that matters." 

"What does that have to do with anything?" Erik demands. 

"Erik, my love, that has to do with everything," Charles says. "And we agreed, remember? We're going to work together. We'll keep each other in check, just like in chess. But I can't go back to the way I was before, I just can't. Not after this." 

"Charles, this isn't safe for you," Erik says, he doesn't say, _for any of us_ , but Charles hears it just as clearly. 

"What would you do, if I asked you not to use your power? If I asked you to resist? Don't you see? It isn't hard for me to hear you," Charles says, desperately trying to explain. "It's hard not to." 

"Charles—" 

"No, you have to let me explain. You remember, in that room," Charles says slowly, "when they cut you off from your power and left you there?" 

"Of course," Erik says quietly. 

"That's what it's like for me, most of the time," Charles explains. "Only I have to do it to myself." 

Erik threads his fingers in Charles' hair, leaning down to rest their foreheads together. "I'm beginning to understand now, the way you treated Raven when we first met," he whispers. "Asking her to hide her power to keep her safe. It's not something I want to ask of you, but Charles, this can't go on." 

There is a charge in the air and Charles pulls violently away from him, spinning to look at the doors. They are melding seamlessly together, until it is one flawless piece of metal, blocking the only entrance in. "Erik, stop," Charles says. 

"It's for your own good," Erik says roughly. "I can't stand that thing at the best of times, I'm not letting you near it now." 

"For my own good?" Charles says. "It is our mission to find others like us, and keep them safe." 

"That's your mission," Erik yells. "The only reason I'm here is to keep you safe! You said it yourself, sometimes you need me to stop you." 

"Not this time," Charles says. "She's scared and confused and she doesn't know what she is, or what she's capable of. She's alone, Erik. I have to go to her, or I'll fail at this before I've even begun."

"You're not going into that room, Charles," Erik says. "Please, just sleep, tomorrow we can talk—" 

"Tomorrow's too late," Charles says. "It has to be now." 

"And how do you plan to get inside?" Erik asks snidely. "Forget it. You've been outmaneuvered." 

Charles gives a wry grin, the kind he usually gives right before he says, 'check mate.' 

"Sorry, but I haven't," Charles says, and out of nowhere, Azazel appears behind him. The teleporter reaches and grabs his arm and they both disappear. 

"Charles!" Erik snaps, reaching out too late. He turns to rip the doors apart but Azazel is back before he can, dragging him into that strange in-between place of teleportation, before leaving him alone on the other side of the mansion. 

Erik presses his eyes shut for a moment in disbelief. He has to admit, he hadn't expected that. It wasn't like Charles to use mind control on a whim, but he knows Azazel wouldn't have chosen to aid him like this, at least not that quickly. 

Charles is definitely out of control. Erik pushes into the hall, trying to orient himself, before picking a direction and taking off at a run. If Charles wants to turn this into a game, he's more than happy to play. 

And he always plays to win. 

\- - - - - 

Charles works at the controls, trying to ignore the disapproving presence of Azazel behind him. He had not had time to ask for Azazel's help, so had simply moved him where he needed him, but he wasn't going to do so without owning up to it. He lets Azazel keep the memories of what he's done. 

"Are you going to stop me?" Charles asks him. 

"Could I?" Azazel asks dryly. 

"No," Charles answers honestly. "But I don't want to have to stop you." 

"Just use me when needed?" Azazel asks.

"Well, you're very useful," Charles says, squinting at the dials. He doesn't want to make the same mistake that he did the last time. 

"Perhaps, but I won't be your slave," Azazel says. 

"Of course you're right," Charles says, stopping to turn and face him. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again." 

"Until the next time that you have to?" Azazel asks. 

"No," Charles says. "Next time, I'll ask." 

"And if I say no?" Azazel says. 

"You weren't the only option," Charles says.

"No, not even the easiest one," Azazel says, moving around Cerebro, looking at it closely. "Lensherr was standing right in front of you. You could have made him open the doors, and then made him sleep." 

"He wouldn't forgive me that," Charles says. 

"And you think that I will?" Azazel asks. 

"Yes," Charles says. "My power doesn't scare you the way it scares most people, not the way that it scares Erik. You're fascinated." 

Azazel gives him a devilish grin. "It's true," he says. "I'd hate to see it all go to waste." He nods to Cerebro to illustrate his point. 

"I know what I'm doing," Charles says. 

"You haven't known what you're doing since you first called me to this room to go save Lensherr," Azazel says. 

Charles walks to Cerebro, unwilling to acknowledge the truth in that. "I tried to leave, to keep you all safe, but he stopped me." 

"Lensherr?" Azazel asks. 

"Yes," Charles says. "He says we can work together, but I'm not sure we can. Now that I'm agreeing with him, he's disagreeing with me." 

"This will not solve anything," Azazel says. "He's not going to be happy with you." 

Charles brings the helmet down on his head. "No, he's not," Charles says. "But he's also not going to get here in time to stop me." 

He reaches out and grabs the activation switch. Azazel watches as he activates it, the young telepath's body jerking as Cerebro comes to life, before settling and becoming eerily still. 

Azazel disappears back to his own room. He does not want to be here when Erik arrives. Charles feels him go in a distant kind of way, the same way he can almost hear Erik's feet pounding across the marble floor of the abandoned hallways of the West Wing, but these are vague and intangible—most of his attention is elsewhere, 

The world in his mind is grey and white and black, except for the others like him, shining brightly colored amongst them. He searches out the mind of the child, and he feels her almost at once, searching for him in return. 

_'How are you here?'_ she asks uncertainly, and with a snap she is suddenly in front of him. Her presence cuts into him like a blade, sharp and dangerous and there all at once. It's almost hard to believe she is as she appears—a tiny little girl in a flower patterned dress. But he can see past her appearance to what's inside of it, and that mind of hers is pushing at the inside of her skull, so powerful it's leaking out. 

_'I came to find you,'_ he says, though he knows it is not exactly what was asked. _What is your name?'_

_'Jean Grey,'_ she says, and it cuts through him every time she speaks. No one has ever spoken back to him here. Until now, he hadn't thought they could. _'You're like me?'_

_'I don't think there's another quite like you,'_ Charles says, trying to anchor himself against the brute force of her mind. She has no finesse for this connection. _'But perhaps we're close enough that distinction doesn't matter.'_

_'Charles,'_ she says. _'Xavier.'_

_'Yes,'_ he says. _'Did you learn that before or just now?'_

_'Does it matter?'_ she asks curiously. _'You called and I heard you. You sound so much different than everyone else. I knew at once we were alike.'_

_'I haven't been myself,'_ Charles says. _'I never meant to disturb you.'_

_'You've caused a lot of trouble to contact me, for yourself, I mean'_ Jean says, her brow furrowing as she runs through some thought process—Charles suspects they're more his thoughts than hers. _'But you wanted to find me.'_

_'I think we could learn from each other,'_ Charles says. 

Jean grins. _'You mean that,'_ she says, delighted. _'Adults hardly ever say what they mean.'_

_'Would you like to meet me with me then?'_ Charles asks. 

_'Very much,'_ Jean says, before looking worried. _'But I'm hurting you.'_

_'You're very powerful,'_ Charles says gently. _'You don't need to try so hard to talk to me here. Let me do the heavy lifting.'_

Jean watches him curiously, but the force of her presence does not change. _'I'm sorry,'_ she says. _'I don't know how.'_

_'We can work on that,'_ Charles assures her. 

_'I'd like that, but you had better go for now.'_ Jean looks behind her, before glancing back and Charles. She takes a step away, still watching him.

_'Why do you want me to go?'_ he asks. 

_'He's coming for you,'_ Jean says. _'And he's very angry.'_ Then she's gone and Charles is back in the room, Cerebro's safety protocol alarms blaring in his ears as the energy signals increase past their limits. 

Charles pulls off the helmet and stumbles forward a step. He reaches up a hand to his nose, and pulls it down covered in blood. He's still staring at it when the door blows off the hinges, crashing inwards and sliding along the floor straight into the Cerebro controls. 

Charles follows its path with a wince, realizing kind of distantly that Hank's going to have to put it back together yet again, before finally turning to meet Erik's furious eyes. "Erik," Charles says, and his tone is something between an apology and disapproval. 

Erik's eyes go slanted as he sees the blood and Charles can feel his fury and his worry coming off him in waves; it's nearly enough to knock him off his feet. He grabs the railing to keep himself from dropping to his knees. 

"Charles," he growls. 

Charles loses his grip just as Erik reaches him, so that when Erik moves to grab him Charles is already falling into his arms. His eyes slip closed and he leans against him. "I'm sorry," he whispers. "Had to be done." 

"You idiot," Erik says fiercely, though Charles can feel the kiss he presses into his hair. "Was it worth it?" 

"Yes," Charles says, even as he feels the world around him closing in. "She's incredible." 

"Don't you dare pass out on me, Xavier," Erik snaps. "We're not done with this conversation." 

Charles' only answer is to go limp in his arms, out cold. "You just never listen, do you?" Erik mutters, before reaching an arm down under Charles' knees to lift him up and carry him back to their room. 

He seals the door up again behind them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"I'm not one of the children," Charles tells him, looking caught somewhere between outrage and amusement. "You can't tell me what to do."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter can be blamed entirely on forcryinoutloud, who convinced me to try my hand at a more ambitious sex scene than a fade to black allusion to curtains undulating in the wind.

Erik opens the doors to Charles' bedroom and carries him inside. He's not surprised to see Raven sitting on top of the bed, anxiously twirling her manufactured blonde hair. Her eyes widen when she sees Charles and she moves out of the way so Erik can lay him down. 

"What happened?" she demands, leaning over Charles to brush back his hair. She rushes towards the bathroom and soaks a washcloth in warm water before bringing it back to wash off the blood. 

"He used Cerebro," Erik says. 

"I thought you were going to stop him?" Raven snaps. 

"Yes, well, stopping a telepath from doing whatever he feels like doing isn't as easy to do as one might think," Erik snaps. 

"He stopped you?" Raven asks in disbelief, setting the bloodied washcloth aside. 

"No, he used Azazel to stop me," Erik says. "Apparently he thinks he's found some sort of loophole to get around his promise to stay out of my head. And Azazel for some reason seems to forgive him everything. Charles amuses him." 

Raven gives a slight smile. "Yes, well, Charles tends to get most people to give him whatever he wants, with or without using his powers," she says. "That's why you were supposed to stop him. You don't let him do that to you." 

"You're his sister," Erik snaps. "You talk to him. He obviously doesn't listen to me." 

"I'm not—" Raven breaks off, turning her gaze back on Charles. "Well, I guess I am, really, in the ways that count. But it's you he wants." She nods over at the dresser, where Erik has set his things. "You think none of us have noticed you're both staying in the same room?"

"He's been unwell," Erik says. 

"And so have you," Raven says. "He was there for you and now you're here for him and I think it's time you both got your act together and realized what that means."

"It isn't any of your business," Erik says. 

"Like you said, he's my brother. And I think it's obvious what you want from him; you think I haven't seen it all before? So why don't you stop fooling around and fuck him?" she asks, her eyes turning yellow with a blink before going back to blue. "Maybe the rest of us will finally get some sleep." 

"Mystique," Erik snaps. 

"It's Raven," Raven says, "Charles doesn't like our other names so much." 

"And since when have you cared what he wants?" Erik asks. "You've been subverting his authority since the moment I met you." 

"Whatever you think you know about me, or Charles, I would do absolutely anything for him, okay?" Raven snaps, "And I'm worried, because this hasn't ever happened before. I've never had to take care of him, he's always taken care of me. I don't know how it works this way around!" 

Erik sighs, rubbing a hand down his face, realizing suddenly how young she was still was. He doesn't always agree with Charles' assessment of the others as children, but at times like this it's hard to see them as anything else. He knows she's never quite forgiven herself for leaving with him instead of staying with Charles. She's been on edge since they returned to the mansion and alternating between being overprotective or angry with Charles in turns. 

"Nothing is going to happen to him," Erik says, realizing what she needs to hear. "To any of us. I'll make sure of that." 

Raven leans forward and kisses Charles' on the forehead. "You're more like him than you know," she says, as she gets to her feet and starts towards the door. "He likes to make promises he can't keep too." 

Erik closes the doors gently behind her and sits down beside Charles on the bed, realizing it wasn't the right thing to say after all. He knows that things are going to continue to fall apart without Charles' there to hold them all together. 

Erik is only good at rallying troops for a war—if they had something to fight, he could probably get them to follow him. Charles is the one that can somehow get people to follow him before the trouble even starts. 

\- - - - - 

Charles wakes up slowly, an angry but content buzzing at the back of his mind. He forces his eyes open, and can feel Erik's forehead pressed against the back of his neck, obviously the source of the buzzing. His throat feels dry and his head is pounding but he feels better than he has the last few days. He can't remember the last time he'd slept. 

He gently disentangles himself and slides from the bed, heading to the bathroom to grab a glass of water. Reluctantly, he looks up to face his reflection and frowns. He still has dark circles beneath his eyes, and he splashes water on his face to get rid of the remnants of dry blood. The events of the previous night come back to him slowly, and he lets himself lean against the sink for a moment, taking stock of everything that happened. 

He'll have to remember to apologize to Azazel. Charles turns his head to glance warily at the figure on the bed, letting out a breath when he realizes he's still sleeping. He's not ready to face Erik. 

And there's still the matter of the girl. 

Charles slips out of the bathroom and heads to the door. He's reaching for the handle when he hears the lock click. Charles spins around and Erik is sitting up on the bed, staring at him with narrow eyes. "Going somewhere?" he drawls. 

Charles crosses his arms, wincing slightly because he knows it looks more like a defense mechanism than defiance. "I need to check the readouts on Cerebro," he says. "From last night. I'm not going to use it again, so you can unlock the door." 

"Charles," Erik says darkly. "We're going to talk about what happened." 

"There's nothing to say," Charles says. "I understand you're angry with me, but if you hadn't been so unreasonable in the first place—" 

"I've been unreasonable?" Erik says in disbelief, pushing to his feet. "You took over Azazel's mind, that's not like you."

"I only borrowed him a bit," Charles says. "He understands." 

"You need to focus on getting your shields back up," Erik says. "You're killing yourself, and if you think I'm just going to stand by and let it happen, you're sadly mistaken." 

Erik walks over to loom in front of him, but Charles just glances up, undisturbed. "I have things under control at the moment," he insists. "We have more pressing matters." 

"Your child telepath?" Erik demands. 

"Yes," Charles says. "This is important, Erik." 

"So are you," he snaps. "You need more rest. Consider yourself grounded." 

"I'm not one of the children," Charles tells him, looking caught somewhere between outrage and amusement. "You can't tell me what to do." 

"Well, those children have more sense than you," Erik says. "You're overtired. I promise you, we will look for the girl. But she can wait." 

Charles narrows his eyes at him, in a manner familiar from the night before, and Erik reaches out and grabs his wrist. "So help me if you call Azazel to spirit me away again, Charles. You won't like what happens," he snaps. 

"I promised Azazel I wouldn't," Charles says. "But I do have a key for the door, which is much simpler in any case." 

"Keys are metal," Erik says. "Good luck with that plan." 

"You're impossible!" Charles cries. "I’m going to tell Raven on you." 

"Now, let's not let things get out of hand," Erik says. "Anyway she's on my side. I received some very ill-worded, if sound advice from her just last night regarding how I should handle you." 

Charles sputters indignantly, attempting to pull out of Erik's grip. "What do you mean 'handle me?'" 

Erik tugs him by the hold on his wrist, until they are only inch apart, and then he leans down to kiss him. He runs his other hand through Charles' hair, and Charles' hands go to his neck. After a moment, Erik reluctantly pulls away. 

Charles looks up at him with wide eyes. "That was…" he stops for a minute, his genius mind obviously trying to search for Erik's ulterior motives. "You're just trying to get me in bed, aren't you?" 

"Yes," Erik says. 

"I'm still not going to sleep," Charles insists. 

"You had better not," Erik growls, pulling Charles back towards the bed. 

Charles laughs. "You're very devious," he says, before giving Erik a shove so he falls backwards on the bed. Charles follows him up, dropping down to straddle his hips. "I should be working." 

"Locked door, remember?" Erik asks. "You're not going anywhere. We might as well enjoy it. We haven't really had a chance to—talk about what's going on with us." 

"Now you want to talk?" Charles asks in disbelief, leaning down to kiss Erik again. "I think it's pretty obvious what's going on between us. And you call me naïve. Do I really need to explain this to you?" 

"Charles," Erik growls. "You know what I mean." 

Charles pulls back, before pausing briefly and meeting Erik's eyes. "I think I've made it pretty clear where I stand on the matter," he says. "I'd do anything for you." 

"But you won't do a thing I tell you to," Erik says in frustration.

Charles breaks out into a grin. "Well, that's really not the same thing, is it?" he asks. "I promise to love you, but not to obey you." 

"Is that a proposal?" Erik asks in amusement. 

"A promise," Charles says, leaning down to place a kiss at Erik's neck, his hands sliding up his chest. Erik grasps his hands and pushes him back. Charles lets him grudgingly, before sitting back to rest his weight on Erik's hips. 

"You know that goes for me too right?" Erik asks. "I don't know what I'd do without you. I don't even know who I'd be without you." 

Charles is taken aback by the intensity he feels coming off Erik in waves, nearly stealing his breath. "Erik," he starts, but before he can say anything else, Erik has spun them around and is pinning him down on the bed. Charles lets out a startled laugh. 

"Do you see now, why I need you take care of yourself?" Erik demands, his clever hands slipping beneath Charles shirt, cold as steel. Charles gasps and nods. 

"This isn't playing fair," Charles says. "You can't use sex to get me to give in to your overprotective tendencies. I'm more than capable of—" 

"Positive reinforcement," Erik says teasingly. "You taught me that." 

"Good student," Charles acknowledges. Erik's hands slide further under his shirt, but Charles' can feel something tugging his zipper down. "Oh, you're doing that with your—" Charles waves his hand around vaguely to indicate Erik's power. "I really don't think I taught you that." 

"I've got some tricks of my own," Erik says, running his hands up Charles' sides and gently urging him to raise his arms. He tugs the shirt over his head and tosses it aside, and Charles lets out a laugh as it sails across the room, his hair settling into disarray. 

Charles reaches up and starts undoing Erik's buttons at the same time Erik is trying to tug down Charles' pants. They're both tugging each other in the wrong direction and Charles frowns in concentration, certain that there should be a more obvious solution to getting them both undressed. "Stand up," he says, pushing at Erik. 

"Hey," Erik protests, more falling down beside Charles than standing up, but Charles can work with this. He climbs back on top of him and unbuckles Erik's pants with his fingers as deftly as Erik had undone his with his power, and drags the pants down. 

Charles slips a hand underneath the waistband of Erik's underwear, wrapping his agile fingers around his cock. Erik let out a hiss, before splaying his arms wide, hands clenching in the fabric of the bedspread, and his button up shirt falling open to reveal his chest. Charles leans down, resting his other hand on Erik's chest. "How's this?" he asks. 

Erik reaches out for Charles' hips in response, pushing his pants and underwear down past his ass. Charles leans down to kiss him again, lining up their cocks, and Erik cups his ass, tugging him forward while Charles pushes back. "Why haven't we ever done this before?" Erik demands, throwing his head back, feeling his heart clench at the breathy little laugh Charles gives in response. 

"We were busy saving the world," Charles tells him. 

"To hell with the world," Erik says breathlessly.

Charles can't even disagree, instead letting out a startled gasp as Erik moves a hand between them. He rests his forehead against Erik's shoulder as they continue their rhythm of push and pull, so symbolic of everything else they do, and no wonder they fit together this perfect. 

Charles feels a little dizzy, caught somewhere between his own pleasure and Erik's, in some kind of feedback loop. From the expression in Erik's eyes, Charles suspects he is projecting it right back, and there is no way they'll be able to keep this up for long.

"God, Erik," Charles gasps, pushing himself up on one shaky hand to change the angle of their movements. He can feel Erik everywhere, in his head, under his skin. "I can't—" 

Erik moves his free hand and places it at the back of his neck, dragging him down for another kiss. Charles rests their foreheads together for a moment, feeling something building in the back of his mind; his entire focus narrows down to just this, and all the other voices that have been buzzing in the background since he'd first torn down his shields fade away and disappear. 

Here, like this, all he can hear is Erik's heart. 

Charles releases Erik's cock, capturing Erik's hands and pinning them above his head as they continue moving together. Charles can feel the fire building up inside, and as he comes he lets Erik feel everything he feels. 

Erik cries out in disbelief, his hands sliding along Charles’ back, pulling him tight against his chest to hold them together as he follows him over—and Charles can feel the world go white around them, everything but them vanishing as the pleasure ripples back and forth between them. 

The world slowly filters back in and Charles goes limp where he is laid across Erik, resting his head on his chest. He feels Erik press a kiss to the top of his head, one warm hand stroking along the planes of Charles’ back, fingers following each bump of Charles’ spine. "Charles?" 

"Hmm?" Charles murmurs. 

"Did you just make me come with your mind?" Erik asks, still twitching with the aftershocks. His hand slides up and into Charles’ hair, tugging gently.

Charles snorts. "I'd like to think my body had a little something to do with it," he says.

"But you did, didn't you?" Erik asks. "I've never…I can't even…that was…"

"I may have projected a bit…" Charles says, vaguely annoyed that his current pillow was continuing to interrogate him. "And the neighbors might have just been taken rather by surprise." 

"Charles," Erik says, with misleading calm. 

"Oh, there's nothing to worry about," Charles tells him. "They're very stuffy. It'll probably do them some good." 

"I don't doubt it. But, Charles, the nearest neighbors are ten miles away," he says. "Are you saying that everyone from here to there…they all felt what I just felt?" 

"Oh, uh, not exactly. But yes, probably," Charles says, closing his eyes with a contented sigh. "So I think you're right. I should stay here. And sleep. Possibly for a year." 

"You're going to make me face those heathens alone?" Erik demands, heaving Charles to the side, his hand curling possessively around the curves of Charles’ ass as he glares at his lover. 

"You're tough," Charles tells him, collapsing on his stomach and pulling Erik's pillow to him. "You'll survive." 

Erik frowns at him. This is pretty much the end result he had hoped for, but as everything else with Charles, it hasn't at all gone to plan. With a put upon sigh, he rolls off the bed, reaching to tug Charles’ pants and underwear the rest of the way off, and tossing them to the floor. He takes a moment to admire the view, before grinning and reaching for the tangle of sheets, pulling them over Charles and placing a kiss on his shoulder. 

Erik runs his hands shakily through his hair as he heads for the shower. He can still feel the aftershocks reverberating around his skull like echoes, so when he steps inside he turns the water on cold to keep himself from crawling back into the bed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"I've got everything under control," Charles tells her at once._
> 
> _"You're in love, Charles," Raven says, grinning wryly. "I don't care how powerful you are, there's no controlling that."_

Raven is sitting on a barstool at the kitchen counter when Erik walks in. She is in her natural form, but her typically slicked down red hair looks mussed, and she's hugging a large mug of coffee like it's the Holy Grail. She glances up at him with slanted golden eyes. 

"I just had the best orgasm of my life," she says casually. "I suppose I have you to thank for that?" 

Erik goes very still. "I don't know what you're talking about," he says. 

"You're just lucky the only other inhabitants of this house are teenage boys and Angel," Raven says. "I'm sure they all have dreams like that all the time. Probably won't even notice anything amiss. You, however, might want to invest in some mirrors if Charles doesn't get himself under control." 

Raven gets to her feet and fills another mug with coffee, before unceremoniously sliding it across the counter to Erik. He supposes it's her version of a peace offering, and takes it gratefully. "At least I got him to sleep," Erik says. 

Raven's mouth quirks up, her eyes sparkling, and Erik likes her so much better like this. He knows that Charles and Raven have both had their reasons for hiding what they are, but he's going to spend the rest of his life trying to make it so they don't have to. 

"I'm impressed," Raven admits. "I didn't think you had it in you. I thought you were going to continue brooding and pretending like you were just bizarrely co-dependent best friends." 

"We are bizarrely co-dependent best friends," Erik admits.

"Touché," Raven says wryly, before her eyes move to latch on to his. "I suppose it goes without saying that if you fuck this up, I'll end you?" 

Erik stifles his unease, and forces himself to remain steady under her glare. Raven is coming into her power, and she could sidle up to him as anyone, at any time. He knows better than to make an enemy of her. "I should think it goes without saying that I'd die before I hurt him." 

Raven laughs. "Erik, people like us, we don't know how to die gracefully," she says. "And there are so many ways to hurt someone you love—it's nearly impossible to avoid them all."

"So you're wanting to kill me then?" Erik asks, raising an eyebrow. "It sounds as though I'm being set up to fail." 

Raven pulls her coffee towards her, shaking her head. "If you're going to be in a relationship with my brother, you can be prepared to have a lot of fights," she says. "That's your business. But if you _break_ him . . . " Raven trails off, her gleaming eyes completing the threat. "Well. You know." 

Erik watches her warily. There had been a time not that long ago that he would have thought her loyalty lay with him—he has no wish to take her allegiance from her brother, and there is little difference in any case, as Charles' has his now as well, but the drastic shift is still startling. 

Raven seems to know what he's thinking, and she looks away. "I owe him everything," she admits quietly. "And I used to resent him for it. For giving me everything but what I wanted." 

"Raven," Erik starts. 

"But he knew what I wanted before I did, he always does," she interupts. "And what I need from him is for him to be what he's always been. A brother. Now that I've realized that, I'm not giving it up. Not for anything, Erik, not even for you or your cause." 

"I wouldn't ask you to," Erik says. "Not the least because it's not something I'm prepared to do myself." 

Raven laughs, before finally turning to look back at him. "Just look at us. Can you imagine?" she asks. "What we would be like, without him?" 

"Unfortunately yes," Erik says quietly. "Quite clearly." 

Raven leans against the counter, sipping her coffee thoughtfully. "Well, if it's any consolation, I have my suspicions that Charles would be far scarier without us than we would be without him. I only have a vague idea what he did to get you out of that place, but I don't think he did it gentle, did he?" 

"He's the most powerful mutant I've ever encountered," Erik agrees. "I used to think Shaw was as powerful as anyone could be, but that was before Charles slipped into his mind and held him in place from over fifty feet away." 

Raven nods. "He did something, didn't he? When he saved you. He won't talk about it." 

Raven apparently hasn't taken to the change of subject, and Erik glances at her sideways. "You're fishing," he chides. 

"I only want to know what's wrong with him," Raven says, pushing herself away again. "He won't talk to anyone but you. It's like he can't stand to be with the rest of us." 

Erik hesitates, but Raven has known Charles longer than any of them, and knows him better than anyone. If someone can help him make Charles see sense, it's going to be her. "He says he had to tear down his mental shields," he admits after a moment. 

Raven's blue skin goes strangely pale and colorless, her eyes widening as she takes a startled step back. "What?" she asks. "But he needs them!" 

"That is certainly becoming more and more apparent," Erik says. "But he doesn't even seem to be trying to get them back up." 

Raven paces across the floor. "He told me what it was like once," she says. "To let his mind free, to hear everything. He compared it to drowning, but not the sort of drowning where you're struggling to reach the surface. He says it's like that moment before you go under, and you've decided to let yourself sink." 

Erik rises to his feet. He doesn't like the sound of that at all. "How can we help him?" he demands. 

Raven shakes her head. "He's always been in control, ever since I've known him," she says. "He was only eleven when I met him, and already he was so amazing. He knew at once I was not who I appeared, and didn't even need to enter my mind to know it."

Erik doesn't know if Raven's words are meant to be comforting, but confirming that Charles has kept his power so tightly under wraps since he was so young does nothing to ease his concern. It's so much easier to break something down than to build it back up. 

Raven looks as though she knows that just as well as he does. She opens her mouth to say something else, but a scream from down the hall has her head snapping around, her coffee cup falling and shattering to the floor. Erik is on his feet before she turns fully around, rushing into the hallway with her close on his heels. 

Erik has heard any number of men scream, and has himself more often than not been the cause. To hear that sound with Charles' voice breaks something inside, twisting viciously inside of him and cutting off his air. He's stretching out his mind to seek out all the metal within his not inconsiderable reach—fully prepared to tear whoever made Charles sound that way to pieces. 

He pulls to a sudden stop when they reach the bedroom door and he sees Charles' leaning against it, looking pale and shattered but whole. He's hastily thrown on a dark blue robe, though he's only holding it together with his hands. Raven slams into Erik's back, before pushing around him to head for her brother. "Charles?" she calls. 

Raven moves closer, but Erik notices she makes no move to touch him. He doesn't realize why until after he's already reached out to tilt Charles' head up; the contact sends a spike of pain rushing through him like a needle through the brain. It disappears just as quickly, however, as Charles' meets his eyes and drags all that pain right back into himself.

"What's wrong?" Erik demands. "Did someone hurt you?" 

"God, they're—" Charles looks drugged. His pupils are completely blown, and he is shaking in his grip, his gaze moving from Raven to Erik and back like he isn't certain who they are. "They're coming for her."

"Who?" Raven asks gently, hovering close but still not reaching out. Erik will have to corner her later—because for someone who claims she's never seen her brother in this state, she certainly knows what not to do. 

"No, no, oh god," Charles cries, and he leans into Erik, his fingers tightening around Erik's wrist tight enough to hurt. "The woman in white and the man with the mind black as night. She thinks she's clever, but he thinks he's right."

"Charles, you're not making any sense," Erik says. 

"Don't blame me," he says, and shakes his head. "They're not my words." 

Erik lets Charles lean into him. His breathing is shallow and he's still shaking, so Erik looks helplessly at Raven. She steps forward then, brushing her hand carefully through Charles' hair to turn his head towards her. "Charles?" she says. "What's just happened?" 

He blinks for a minute before pulling away from them both, and leaning back against the wall. "Jean's in trouble," he says. "She got scared and reached out—" Charles winces, and reaches up to dig the heel of his hand against his forehead. "We have to go. We have to get her now. The things he has planned…god, she's seen it all." 

"Who is coming after her?" Raven asks, her voice quiet and soft. 

Charles doesn't need Erik losing his cool and interrogating him, so he lets Raven handle it for now. Charles is shaking his head again. "She doesn't know, exactly, she's just a child," he says. "I can only see him through her eyes. She thinks he's the big bad wolf. But someone's coming for her, that's clear enough, and we don't have time to waste." 

"Right," Erik says. "Will the coordinates for the girl be on the Cerebro print out from last night?" 

Charles nods. "Yes," he says. "I've already called Azazel. He's going to meet us there." 

"You're staying here," Erik says firmly. "We'll take care of this. Raven, stay with him." 

Erik turns around before he can see the dark looks the siblings both turn on him as he takes off down the hall. He goes down the steps to Cerebro, recreating the seam between the double doors before tugging them open whilst he's still five feet away. Azazel is already inside, leaning against the center of the machine. 

"You here by choice?" Erik asks casually, moving to grab the printouts. 

Azazel gives a half-grin. "Your Charles can be quite convincing, even without his power," he says. "He pled his case well, and I have no desire to see a child hurt." 

"Good," Erik says, wondering if he should call any of the others. He doesn't trust Hank in battle, no matter how fearsome he's become—Angel's wings haven't healed, Alex is unreliable, and Sean is too young. Riptide is only here when the mood strikes him, and they hadn't seen him in weeks. "I guess it's just us then." 

Azazel raises an eyebrow. "You seem to honestly believe that," he says, in something like awe. "You really don't understand your little telepath at all, do you?" 

"What are you—" Erik breaks off as Charles and Raven come rushing into the room, practically stumbling over each other. Charles has dressed in a shirt and slacks, a long wool coat, fingerless gloves, and shoes. He looks suspiciously like he thinks he's going somewhere. 

Raven looks defiant beside him, like she's daring him to say something. Erik ignores her, turning the full focus of his gaze on Charles. Charles unconsciously rocks back on his heels as Erik steps closer, but he still raises his chin to meet that fierce gaze head on. "I told you that you're staying here," Erik says dangerously. 

"Yes, well, I'm the one with mind control, remember?" Charles asks. "You can say whatever you like, it doesn't make it happen." 

"Oh, I have ways of making things happen," Erik says, flashing Charles' a fierce grin. "You're clearly unwell. You'll only slow us down." 

"I’m in the same condition I was when I came for you," Charles protests. "I'm hardly helpless." 

"Neither am I, nor Raven," Erik snaps. "I seriously doubt that stops you worrying, so indulge me." 

"The coordinates are probably going to cover at least two blocks, it's not exact," Charles says, in an eerily logical tone of voice. "That's two blocks in New York, she could be anywhere. How do you plan to find her without me?" 

"He has a point," Raven says. 

Erik turns to glare at her. "Fine," he says tightly, communicating with Raven in a single look that she is to be Charles' shadow for the entire mission. Raven only rolls her eyes, and Erik doesn't know when he stopped intimidating people, but he doesn't like it. "But I'm charge." 

"Yes, you're our fearless leader, we'll all do exactly as you say, so long as it makes sense. Now, if you've got that all out of your system," Charles says, and reaches out and grabs Raven's hand. "We need to go." 

Erik wants to protest, but he knows it's true. If the message that Charles has received is genuine, they have no choice but to go—and if it's some kind of lie, or trap, Erik would go anyway to make sure whoever it was stayed the hell out of Charles' head. 

"She's telling the truth," Charles tells him earnestly, reaching out and grabbing Erik's wrist with his free hand. "Azazel?" 

Erik barely feels the hand on his back and then it's like he's being pulled inside out. They appear at the edge of the city, right in front of Central Park, and Erik will never get used to that sensation. He's just orienting himself to being back on solid ground when he feels Charle's grip on his wrist go slack and fall away. 

He turns around just in time to see Charles' fall to his knees, his hands pressed against his ears. "Charles?" Erik says in concern, reaching out for him. "What's wrong?"

Charles doesn't answer, though he can hear them all. They are screaming and crying and raging in his head, everyone everywhere all at once. He hasn't felt anything like this since the first time his powers manifested and he taught himself to block it out. He'd managed at the mansion, but it had been isolated, his friends little more than friendly background noise. 

This was like being compressed into a tiny room with people wall to wall—he has no room to move, no space to breathe. He gasps and presses his hands tighter against his ears, though he knows this will do no good. "Stop it," he says quietly, pressing his eyes shut. This doesn't work, so he tries yelling instead. "I said stop! Quiet!" 

At his command, the people around them start to fall like dominos; they drop one by one to lie where they stood, eyes shutting as they go down like they are china dolls. 

Charles carefully opens his eyes, staggering back to his feet as the silence finally grips him. He can still hear Erik, Raven, and Azazel, but he is used to them, and their thoughts flow around him like white noise. "That's better," he says. 

"Charles, what did you just do?" Raven asks, her voice tinged with something like fear. 

He glances over at her. "Don't worry," he says. "They're only asleep." 

Raven walks into the middle of the street, turning in a circle to take it all in with disbelief. No one is moving as far as she can see. Cars are stopped all the way to the horizon, idling in place. 

"I left any mutants awake," Charles says dismissively, rubbing the bridge of his nose with a wince. "But there's something else—a blindspot, something is blocking me out—" Charles gasps and Erik reaches out to steady him. "It's Frost!" 

"Does she know you're here?" Erik demands. 

"Yes," Charles says breathlessly. "But she's busy with something else. She's entirely focused on blocking me from something, or someone. I could rip it from her, I think, but at this distance it would be dangerous for us both." 

"No, don't provoke her. Let her think she has the upper hand," Erik says. "Just tell me where she is. I'll take care of the rest." 

"She's at the edge of Manhattan, by the Brooklyn Bridge," Charles says. "Take Azazel. Raven and I will go find Jean." 

"Frost is your woman in white," Erik protests. "She's obviously with whoever is going after the girl. We'll go and stop her. You're going back. Just look around yourself, Charles, you're obviously not up to this." 

Charles glances at the people lying in the street. "I thought that was a rather nice display of power, actually," he says. 

"And it's not one you would have made if you were thinking clearly," Erik says. "Azazel, take him back." 

"No," Charles says. "We still need to find Jean. Frost might not be the only one after her." 

"All the more reason why you're going back," Erik says. "Azazel!" 

Azazel steps forward and Charles turns to look at him. "Don't," he says. "Please." 

Azazel stops suddenly. Erik looks between them with narrowed eyes. "Using your power on him again?" Erik demands. "I'll drag you back myself if I have to." 

"He's not using his power on me," Azazel says steadily. "He asked me not to take him back." 

"Do it anyway," Erik growls. "It isn't safe for him here." 

"He promised me he would stop using his power against me," Azazel says. "I owe him nothing less in return." 

Erik glares at him. "If anything happens to him, and you could have kept him out of this, you're gonna want to disappear for good." 

"Azazel has a right to do as he wishes," Charles says. "You're the one that reminded me of that." 

"The entire city is asleep," Raven says. "How much trouble can we get into?" 

Erik has a very bad feeling that they could get into plenty, but he can't deny that it's a good plan, and at least if Charles is with Jean, he's not going up against Frost whilst his shields are still down. 

"So much for me being in charge," Erik says. 

Charles smiles brightly at him. "We can keep pretending, if you like," he says. "I don't mind." 

Erik grabs his jacket to send him falling against him, and leans down to kiss him gently. "If you get hurt, I'll kill you," Erik tells him. 

"Of course you will," Charles says, his blue eyes going wide with either disbelief or amusement. "Because that makes perfect sense." 

"Azazel," Erik says, letting Charles go, and wincing a bit in preparation for the trip.

Azazel doesn't make him wait long, he reaches out and grabs Erik arm, before disappearing with a loud pop. Charles frowns for a moment, and Raven puts her arm through his, nudging him into moving. "You're in trouble, you know that, right?" Raven asks. 

"I've got everything under control," Charles tells her at once.

"You're in love, Charles," Raven says, grinning wryly. "I don't care how powerful you are, there's no controlling that." 

"Let's just focus on the mission," Charles asks. "I know where Jean is, I can hear her calling." 

Raven's smile falls away, and she nods. "Lead the way," she says.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Erik feels weightless suddenly, like gravity has shifted and left him with no way to stay on the ground. Charles' eyes are still blue, of course, but shining more like diamonds than that familiar shade of sky._

Azazel teleports them to the roof of a building. Emma is easy to spot even from this height; she is an innocuous little white speck. There is a man with her, standing very close, in a military uniform of some kind that sets Erik's nerves immediately on edge. 

"She's working with the humans," Erik snaps. "That's who she is trying to block from Charles." 

Emma and her companion are the only two moving figures in sight. Traffic on the bridge is strangely suspended—he can see so much movement on the other side of the Hudson, but on this side everyone is asleep. Erik watches as the cars on the other side of the bridge start to approach before turning and driving away as though their destination has been inexplicably changed. 

As it always does, Charles' power both thrills and terrifies him. He has spread his mind across one of the most populated cities on the continent and was pulling all of their strings, trapping them in a bubble that no one else could enter or see. His heart skips a beat and he can feel Charles even now, hovering somewhere in the distance, though his mind is focused on something else. 

"I need my helmet," Erik says. Azazel raises an eyebrow, and Erik pointedly tilts his head towards the street below. "To keep out her." 

"Of course," Azazel says. "And where did you decide to keep it?" 

"The east attic in the mansion," Erik says after a moment. He'd sent Azazel back for the helmet almost as soon as he'd woken up after his imprisonment, though he had never told Charles. He isn't quite sure Charles will understand why he needs it—but the truth is that even if he trusts Charles with his life, he's hardly the only telepath alive. Erik is glad of the foresight now. 

Azazel disappears and appears again behind him, holding out the helmet casually. "He's going to know," he says. 

"He'll understand," Erik says. "It's not for him." 

"I'm sure he will," Azazel agrees. "And from the sound of it, he'll understand it better than you." 

Erik gives him a dark look and snatches the helmet from his hands. "I trust Charles with my life," he says. "He knows that." 

"Yes, but do you trust him with your mind?" Azazel asks. 

"That's a really strange thing to hear from you of all people," Erik says. "He's taken you over more than once." 

"He used the advantage he had," Azazel says. "In a physical confrontation he's no match for you. You were using your powers on him to keep him from somewhere he needed to be, and I've never heard you apologize to him for that. He only used his to get around it. No lasting harm was done." 

Erik goes still, his hands clenching around the helmet in his hands. He knows Azazel is right. He's used his powers on Charles more than once, and Charles has never even asked him not to. He's forbidden Charles to do the same to him. He glares at Azazel. "This is none of your concern," he snaps. 

"Don't you think if he was going to use his power to change you, he would have done it by now?" Azazel asks, ignoring Erik's angry expression. "I worked with Emma Frost for years and never feared her. I could have teleported her in an instant to 500 feet above the ground and let her go. She could have crawled into my mind and ripped it apart. But we respected each other, and we had no reason to do so." 

Erik turns his attention back to the street below at the mention of Emma. "You may have trusted her, but I can't afford to," he says. "And that is what this helmet is for, whatever you may think." 

Erik had rescued Emma Frost to join his Brotherhood and she'd promptly disappeared. He had not worried about it or sought her out again. Whatever his words when he'd saved her, the rescue had never been conditional on her cooperation. He simply figured she left because she was holding a grudge. 

He's been content to let her live her life however she wished, until now.

He turns to Azazel. "We've only got the one helmet so stay out of sight, I'll take care of this," he tells him. 

"I do not need to be in sight for her to know where I am," Azazel says. "Emma may not be as strong a telepath as yours but it would be a mistake to underestimate her. And I can't say I wish to see her come to harm." 

"She's going after Charles," Erik snaps. 

"She's not," Azazel says. "She's going after the child, and we have only the terrified child's word about why. I do not believe Emma would willingly harm any child, let alone a fellow telepath."

"She wasn't too thrilled with Charles, once upon a time," Erik says. "I nearly had to break her neck." 

"Ah, yes, Russia," Azazel says. "Was it not Xavier invading her mind on that occasion, and not the other way around?" 

"We gave Frost the same choice we gave you, she chose the wrong side," Erik says simply. "She's with a human." 

"She's beside him, that doesn't mean she's with him. I suggest you be careful with her, either way," Azazel says. "It is probably best that I do not join the fight. She cannot control my mind but she would put me out of commission so I cannot aid you." 

Erik nods. "I agree," he says. "Will you go to Charles to help him find the child?" 

"With that helmet on, he will not know if you need our help," Azazel says. 

"With this helmet on, I won't need it," Erik says. 

"I suppose it was too much to hope you'd take my warnings to heart," Azazel says, and is gone in a flash of smoke and light. 

As Erik lifts the helmet, he sends out a last thought to Charles: _please trust me that this is necessary._ He places the helmet over his head with a mixture of relief and anxiety. He's breathing easier now that Frost can't touch him, but he misses Charles almost instantly, like some kind phantom limb. 

With Charles' powers as they are, he's certain Charles must have felt it when he put the helmet on. He doesn't want to think how much worse it might be for him. Instead he steps up onto the edge of the roof. Emma and her human are winding their way around the sleeping bodies in the street, heading deeper into the city towards Charles and Raven and the girl. 

He doesn't even think before he steps off the edge, lowing himself slowing to the ground by balancing his weight against the metal foundations of the building behind him. He barely makes a sound as his boots land on the sidewalk, but Emma still spins around at once, her eyes widening as she sees him. She sends her human on his way with a push before turning to face him. 

She approaches with a sweet smile, daintily sidestepping the bodies in her high-heeled white boats. "Erik," she says. "What a pleasant surprise." 

"You knew I was here," Erik says. 

"Yes, but it wasn't you I was expecting," she says. "I thought Charles might come himself, or am I beneath him? Oh, but I suppose it's for the best. I'm not sure I could actually win against him." 

Erik glares at her, taking stock of all the metal in the area. He carefully rips a piece of metal piping from the building behind Emma, before dragging it straight towards her heart. Emma flashes a grin and in an instant she switches form, going all hard edged in her diamond form. The pipe bounces straight off her and Erik narrows his eyes as he realizes her neck is no longer shattered. That had been his one true advantage. 

"Oh, it was fine the next time I shifted," Emma says, grinning wryly. "You know I worried you were right, that I would never be able to shift properly again. But I should have known better, you're not very often right, are you, Sugar?" 

"What are you doing here, Frost?" he demands, taking a step to the side as they circle one another. Emma has the advantage at close range, he knows. "I know you've never been picky about who you follow, but at least Shaw was understandable. Humans are beneath even you." 

"I suppose you think I should have stayed with you?" Emma asks, her voice echoing the way it does when she's like this, and she is brilliant in this form, Erik will give her that. The light bouncing off her is nearly blinding. 

He knows that pressure is the one way to stop her. He just needs to squeeze her until she cracks. 

Emma approaches, with her hands balled into sparkling fists at her side. With a flick of his wrist, he sends a parked car slamming into her path. It knocks into her and sends her stumbling back a few feet, but Erik knows it won't slow her down for long.

He turns his attention to one of the lampposts, melting it into flexibility before snaking it towards her. She sees it coming and rolls back on her feet, before running straight at him.

He sends the lamppost after her, winding it up like a noose, while lifting a manhole cover with his free hand and bringing it to hover in front of him like a shield.

He just about has her when he feels the metal at his back, and hears the cracking explosion of gunfire before he can rip the pistol to pieces. Erik sends the manhole knocking back into Emma before spinning around, and freezing the four bullets coming towards him easily in the air. 

The shooter is the man in uniform that had been with Emma earlier. There's something about him that makes Erik think he's not stupid, despite having just fired metal bullets at a man that could very easily throw them back. He's about to do just that when he feels something knock into the side of his face with the force of a speeding car—he'd felt something like it only once before, when Emma had knocked him off that yacht. 

She had obviously recovered more quickly than he thought she would. The bullets scatter in all directions at his loss of concentration, and he sees Stryker go down from the corner of his eye. He reaches back for the lamppost but Emma hits him again in the center of his chest, and he is spinning through the air. He slams against the window of the building behind him, and he feels it crack, his head connecting with the glass. 

The helmet probably should have helped that, but with sick realization, Erik sees that it is sitting in the middle of the street, obviously torn off when he went flying back. His head is still spinning as he tries to stay on his feet and stumble towards it, but the dizziness drives him to his knees before he can take a single step. 

Emma is already walking towards him again, still with that little grin, and Erik narrows his eyes before mentally grabbing onto all the wires and pipes beneath the road and ripping them straight up through the asphalt. The entire street starts shaking with the force of the movement, but Emma merely walks gracefully up the forming cracks like it is a stairway before appearing in front of him. 

She kneels down at his side and he reaches out a hand, starting to melt the lamppost directly behind her. "Tsk, tsk, doll, none of that," she says

She gently wraps her sharp fingers around his outstretched wrist; then she breaks it with a simple little twist that hardly seems to take her any effort at all. Erik cries out as he instinctually tries to jerk away, but Emma winds her other hand through his hair, keeping him from moving very far. 

Her fingers start to warm where they're touching him, and he watches as the sparkling form fades away and she reverts back. Her pretty countenance watches his warily, and she doesn't release her grip. 

"Finish him off," Stryker snarls, as he drags himself to his feet. One of the bullets has grazed his cheek, and Erik tries to concentrate, and search those bullets out again so he can do the job properly this time. 

Emma beats him to it, sending a shot of pain through his mind that it is a hundred times worse than what he felt when she broke his wrist. _If you want to live, don't try it_ , she says in his head. 

"He's very powerful," Emma says. "As you've just seen. Killing him would be a waste." 

Emma doesn't make it sound like a suggestion, and Erik wonders just what her relationship to this man is. She had followed Shaw without question, but she doesn't seem afraid to ignore this man's orders at all. 

"I'm not," she answers mildly, before turning back to Stryker. "I can incapacitate him. We can pick him up later. Waste not, want not." 

"Fine," Stryker snaps. "But don't think he counts for anything with me. I'm going to find the girl." 

"I'll be right along after you," Emma says sweetly, before returning her gaze to Erik. 

Erik can't quite make sense of the undertones of their conversation, though he knows the meaning behind 'incapacitate him' well enough. "Stay the hell out of my mind," he snaps, wishing whatever that damn helmet was made of would responds to his call. It resolutely stays where it is, until Stryker wanders casually over to it and picks up. 

"No," Erik protests in horror, but Stryker drops it easily on his head, barely glancing back at them before heading off down the road. Erik feels another wave of nausea, and he doesn't think it's the head injury this time. He's just given their enemy the greatest defensive weapon against Charles that there is, and then sent him off right after him. 

"Hush now," Emma says sweetly, and Erik can feel her surrounding him—all saccharine and sharp. "I'm trying to help. Would you rather I just killed you? Because I very easily could."

"Why don't you then?" Erik demands, snapping his eyes to meet hers. "What are you after, Frost? Whose side are you on?" 

"The same one as always," she says. "My own." 

"What does Stryker want with the child?" Erik asks. "Why are you helping him?" 

"So many questions," Emma says. "Do you truly expect me to answer them?" 

"He doesn't have your loyalty," Erik says. "You're not even pretending he does, so you might as well." 

Erik tries not to wince as her fingers tighten around his broken wrist. Even when she's flesh and bone she's stronger than she should be. 

"He has my sister," Emma says after a moment. "He has a great many of us, actually, but alas, I can't save everyone." 

"So you would assist him?" Erik asks, disgusted. "Why the hell don't you just kill him and get them out? Not to be modest, but you've just knocked me flat, and you're maybe the first one aside from Shaw that ever has. So a human can't be too much trouble." 

"Oh, his body is easy to break, sure, but he's too clever for my own good," she says wryly. "He doesn't know where she is. His people were instructed not to tell him. He has no way to contact them. They will contact him, once our mission is complete." 

"And what is your mission?" Erik demands. 

"As you know, I am a telepath," Emma says. "And my sister has a form of tactile mind control. If I can find a mutant that can do both he'll let us go. Xavier, the girl, it doesn't really matter which. I'd trade either of them for her—don't tell me in my position you wouldn't do the same." 

"In your position, I wouldn't do the same," Erik tells her. "I'd rip him apart and then follow the trail back to whatever rock he'd crawled out of to get our people back. If you're not up to the task, then let me go, and I'll clean up your mess." 

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Emma says. "My sister will be killed if anything happens to him, and I can't take the risk. But we've put this off long enough. Let's have a look, shall we?" 

At first he's not sure what she means, but then she tightens her grip on the hand she's drawn through his hair. She snaps his head back and caresses her thumb across his forehead. "It would be easier if you let me in, but I suppose that would be too much to ask?" 

Emma doesn't wait for an answer before she begins. Her mental touch is cold where Charles' would be warm, and she is spreading over his mind like a sheet of ice. The world narrows in until the only thing he can see is her. _What is it you want?_ she whispers in his head. _More than anything? Is it freedom? Or is it revenge?_

He hears her laughter in his head and knows she's found what she's looking for. _Oh, Sugar, we can work with that,_ she says, and then he is in his old room at the Brotherhood headquarters, laying down with Charles pacing at the foot of his bed. 

Erik sits up in confusion and Charles rushes to him, climbing up to kneel on the bed beside him. "Erik? Erik, are you all right? Please talk to me, I don't—" 

"You saved me," Erik says, feeling some remembered relief. This was where Azazel had brought them after Charles had gotten him out of that lab. "You came for me." 

Charles looks confused. "Of course I did," he says. "Did you think I wouldn't?" 

"I thought you didn't want anything to do with me," Erik says, but even as he says it he knows that something is terribly wrong. He and Charles had worked this out already, he knew that Charles would come for him, he trusted him. "My helmet, I lost my helmet—"

Charles expression darkens. "Forget the helmet," he snaps. "Do you trust me so little?"

"No," Erik says, and this is not how this conversation is supposed to go. He remembers it differently. He remembers holding onto Charles until his vision had blurred. "There was someone else. I was wearing it to stop someone else." 

"There is no one else here," Charles says, expression going kind again. He moves over to straddle Erik, smiling down at him with a wicked grin. "It's only us. As it should be." 

Erik grabs Charles' wrists to stop him when he starts to lean down to kiss him. "Emma Frost," he says. "Emma's here, doing this." 

Charles gives him a look that is suspiciously like a pout. "Oh, Sugar, stop fighting me," he drawls, and then gives a little laugh. "We could be having all sorts of fun. This doesn't have to hurt." 

Erik feels weightless suddenly, like gravity has shifted and left him with no way to stay on the ground. Charles' eyes are still blue, of course, but shining more like diamonds than that familiar shade of sky. 

"Emma," he says carefully. "I live with a telepath. Do you really think I don't know what you're doing?" 

"Does Charles' do this to you then?" she asks, still wearing Charles' face, leaning closer with what looks like honest curiosity. 

"He's warned me about it," Erik snaps. 

"I'm not as powerful as him," Emma admits. "I'm not the one you should be afraid of. I can bring here, to this memory, I can even change it, but he could make you believe it or he could take it away." 

"He wouldn't do that," Erik says. 

"Well, no matter, it's just us here now, isn't it?" Emma asks. "Let's see if I can't do a little better. I wouldn't want to disappoint you." 

In a nauseating pull that feels a little like teleporting with Azazel, Emma tugs him away again, and when he opens his eyes he's in the mansion. He does not remember the moments before.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"You've been in my mind," Emma says, sounding unsettled. "You're getting better."_
> 
> _"You haven't changed one bit," Charles tells her._

Raven feels Charles stumble to a stop and tilt to the side until he's leaning up against her. Raven tightens her hold on his arm. "Charles? What's wrong?" she demands. 

Charles closes his eyes. He's never told Erik that he can feel that helmet, just like it's got a life of its own. It's not just that Erik disappears, which is bad enough, but Charles' can feel where he's not. 

"Erik has the helmet," he says, trying to take his weight off Raven. 

Raven holds onto him tightly, forcing him back against her. "That bastard," she snaps. "I'm going to beat him over his stubborn head with it." 

Charles laughs. "Raven, he's going to fight Emma Frost," he says. "It was clever of him to keep it, though some warning might have been nice. I've been worried about him going up against her without me. I was monitoring them both from here, of course, but I'm not sure how much good I could do from this distance." 

"Well, it's not like he would have let you go with him," Raven says. "I'm surprised he didn't follow through with sending you home. He's a bit of a control freak." 

"Unlike me," Charles says brightly. 

Raven shoots him an incredulous look. "You two are seriously going to kill each other, aren't you?" she asks. 

"I don't know what you're implying. I'm very mellow," Charles says. 

Raven rolls her eyes as they start walking again. It's kind of true, so she doesn't protest outright, but Charles is every bit of a control-freak as Erik, he just hides it behind his charm instead of hiding it behind death glares. 

"So do you trust this girl?" Raven asks. 

"I don't think she's luring us into a trap, if that's what you mean," Charles says. "She's young and frightened." Charles stops dead. "And very very powerful." 

Raven looks up to see what's caught his attention. A young couple is approaching them, with their arms wound through each other's much like Raven's is through Charles'. They are laughing and moving around the sleeping bodies without seeming to see them. They do not acknowledge Charles or Raven as they pass them by. 

"What was that?" Raven whispers. "Why aren't they asleep? Were they mutants?" 

"No," Charles breathes out in awe. "That's Jean's work. She woke her parents up and sent them somewhere safe. You should see what they're seeing. The city is completely alive in their minds. It's a brilliant illusion. I couldn't have done it better myself." 

Raven shudders. "Well if you ask me, that's just creepy," she says. "She's six." 

Charles goes very still. "Yes, well, you and I both have had our powers since we were very young," he says. "She's only protecting the people she loves the most in this world. There's nothing wrong with that." 

"Charles, I didn't mean—" Raven starts. 

Charles pulls away, heading in the direction that Jean's parents have come from. "Come along," he calls behind him. "We're close." 

Jean is waiting for them, sitting on the top step of her building with her chin resting in her hands. She is wearing a floral dress similar to the one she had been dressed in when she visited him in Cerebro, and brand new Mary Jane shoes. As he comes to a stop at the bottom of the steps, Charles feels Raven reach out and grab his hand as she knocks up against him. 

Jean stands up, staring down at them. "Hello," she says quietly. 

"Hello, Jean," Charles says. 

"Did you do this?" she asks uncertainly. "I feel like we're in a snow globe. Without the snow." 

"I thought it would be best if we didn't have any distractions," Charles says, though he knows it's a weak excuse. "Are you alright?" 

"I've been hiding," Jean says. "Or rather, I've been in dozens of places at once. She's been looking for awhile but doesn't know which one I really am." 

"That's very clever," Charles says. "Is she still looking for you now?" 

Jean shakes her head. "The White Queen is busy with your friend," she says. "She's walked straight into his head. " 

"The White Queen?" Raven repeats with disbelief. 

"Emma," Charles clarifies. "That's the name she gave herself. Like you choose Mystique." He watches Jean for a moment, stretching out his mind. He still cannot find Erik, though he no longer feels that black space the helmet creates. He doesn't know why he didn't sense its absence before. 

"She is blocking you," Jean answers him. 

"But you can sense him?" Charles asks curiously. 

"No, but I know where she is," Jean explains. "She opened a connection between us when she first started looking for me. I've found the link goes both ways." 

"You should cut it, if you can," Charles says, before turning to look back the way they came. "Leave it with me." 

"Charles, what are you going to do?" Raven demands. 

"She's in his head, Raven," Charles snaps. "There is nothing that Erik fears more than losing control of himself." 

"You sure about that?" Raven asks. "Because I'm fairly certain he'd rather lose himself than lose you." 

"Even if that's true, the same can be said of me," Charles tells her. "Please watch after Jean. Azazel is on his way, he will help if there's trouble. Hopefully this won't take long." 

"They're on the other side of the city," Raven says. "Charles, can you even do this? Maybe Azazel can—" 

"There isn't any time," Charles snaps. He grabs the railing on the porch and lowers himself to sit on the steps. He closes his eyes tightly and spreads himself across the city, searching for Emma. Emma is hiding Erik, but the kind of power it takes to do that can't be hidden too, so it isn't long before he finds her. 

He searches the corridors of her mind, her plans and reasons and motivations, and then he follows them until he finds Erik. Emma is too distracted to notice his presence. With any luck, she won't notice until it's too late to do her a bit of good. 

 

\- - - - - 

 

Everything is absolutely perfect. It's so perfect that Erik can feel the metal around him vibrating in disbelief, and he latches onto it, trying to assure himself it's real. 

He walks around the mansion, which seems impossibly larger than it should be. He passes countless rooms, but the hallways don't seem to end. Children are everywhere, happily chattering and showing off with their powers. It's Charles' school, which Charles' has secretly wanted to begin, and Erik has Charles', who is all he'll ever need. 

Erik doesn't trust this for a second. 

It's Charles that tips him off. Charles has always been a bright happy person, but he was also stubborn and opinionated and just a tiny bit thoughtless and selfish, in that way that all people that grew up with money were. 

Charles hasn't argued with him once. About anything, not even one single word spoken in defense of humans. Charles stares at him with bright blue eyes while he talks and never says anything but words of agreement, and it's driving Erik mad. 

He tenses when he sees Emma appear at the end of the hall, frowning prettily and as always all in white. "I'm trying to be good to you," she says. "All you have to do is believe it." 

"Get out of my head," Erik growls. 

"You want realism?" Emma asks, and laughs. "Okay. Let's go somewhere you won't want to leave. Somewhere even you had hope. Surely you wouldn't mind me leaving you there?" 

Erik pulls the lamps from the walls and sends them all flying at Emma. She rolls her eyes and turns to walk away as they slam past her into the walls. He starts to follow but the world is being ripped away, pulled and torn aside. The fantasy of the school and the mansion shrink and fade away until they're gone. 

\- - - - - 

 

He's in his quarters at the Brotherhood, standing with his arms braced on the doorway so that Charles cannot get past. This is all that matters—keeping Charles here. He knows if he lets him walk away there will be no third chance. If Charles leaves he will somehow blame Erik for this too, this final crime, corrupting even him. 

It was something he'd actually set out to do, but now that Charles stands in front him with that mad scientist's death hovering like a ghost between them, he realizes Charles' wasn't the only one that was naïve. Erik has been wrong to want this. 

"Let me by," Charles says quietly. 

Erik would have been shoving his way out by now, but Charles just stands there calm and almost regal, politely requesting that Erik move out of his way. "No," he says, and waits for Charles' ever present calm to break. He knows it can, he's seen it. 

"I rescue you, and now you want to hold me prisoner?" Charles asks. "You're better now. You don't need me here." 

"We both know that isn't true," Erik shouts. "You think I don't remember what happened in that room? We decided to do this together." 

"That was a mistake," Charles says. "I can't—I can't do this, I have to go. You have to let me go." 

"What if I come with you?" Erik asks. "What if we all come? To the mansion. Together. We can all do this together. Isn't that what you want?" 

Charles looks startled. "You would come with me?" he asks. 

"Of course," Erik says. 

"I'm a murderer," Charles says tightly. "I shouldn't go back to the mansion at all. Those kids—" 

"They're not kids, and do you know how ridiculous it is for you to call yourself a murderer? To me, of all people?" Erik asks. "You didn't have a choice." 

"Of course I had a choice," Charles says, moving to shove past him. "I made the wrong one." 

Erik grabs him, dragging Charles back up against him and almost off the floor. Charles doesn't struggle but Erik can feel him in the corners of his mind, his telepathy poised at his temples like a loaded gun. Erik presses his eyes shut and ignores the fear that edge of power brings. He doesn't let Charles go. 

"I would have done no less for you," Erik whispers into his ear, keeping a tight grip on his waist. "If you'd been taken from me, no one there would have survived. You know that. What you did was nothing. You only killed the worst one." 

"I know," Charles says, trying to twist away. "And that's dangerous. We're dangerous. I just don't know if we're more dangerous when we're together or when we're apart." 

Erik pushes forward, letting Charles turn in his arms only to back him up against the wall. "We're not going to be apart, Charles," he says. "I think we both know that's not an option any longer."

Charles laughs, but doesn't meet his eyes. "All this time I've been worrying about the hate in this world, and it's the love that'll kill us." 

"I need you with me, Charles," Erik says firmly. "I want you by my side." 

"I know," Charles whispers. "I'm here." 

Erik leans down to kiss him and that's when he realizes that edge of telepathic power that he feels around his mind has not lessened, though Charles is melting into his arms, obviously at ease. This power is different than Charles', colder—Erik pulls away from Charles with a roar, spinning towards the middle of the room. "Frost!" he shouts. "This has gone far enough! You're not taking this memory from me. Not this one." 

"No need to shout, Sugar, I'm right here," Emma says, and Erik turns to find her lying back on his bed, her legs crossed at the ankles. "You're getting quicker. That's not supposed to happen." 

"Your boss has gone after Charles alone," Erik says. "And you're here wasting your time with me." 

"Oh, Stryker can take care of himself, and it hasn't been so very long," Emma answers. "Time passes differently in the mind. Did you know you could live a lifetime in a single night's sleep? I could give that to you. A lifetime with Charles, right here in the safety of your own mind." 

"I'm more concerned with the real one, thank you," Erik snaps. "You're not going to win this one. Let's face it, you're no Charles. Your charms might work on old Russian Generals, but they're wasted with me." 

Emma narrows her eyes, gracefully turning and getting to her feet. "Okay, I'm bored now," she says. "I guess it's time to play rough. You don't want a happy ending? Well fine. How about a tragedy? I bet that's something you'll believe." 

\- - - - - 

 

He's on a beach in Cuba, turning slowly in a circle as his feet slide in the sand. He turns to the side and sees Charles walking beside him, his focus on the ships surrounding them. 

Erik's focus snaps like a laser towards them as he realizes what Charles is waiting for. The humans are firing on them. They've saved them, and now they're going to kill them. Erik can feel the rage building up inside of him. Every last one of them is exactly the same, and they all deserve the same fate. 

When he reaches out and stops those missiles in their tracks, they start turning the other direction almost without command. 

Erik does not feel any reservations as he imagines those missiles launching and taking out those ships. He wonders if maybe Charles is his conscience—and with this helmet blocking him out, he has only his own anger left.

He almost doesn't hear Charles pleading with him. Better men. Good honest innocent me. 

Following orders. 

"I've been at the mercy of men following orders," Erik hears himself say. "Never again." 

And he lets the missiles free. Erik has a vague feeling of unease as he watches them. He seems to recall that this went some other way. He remembers words that Charles hasn't said. He remembers Charles telling him that that much death would likely kill him too.

He remembers letting the missiles explode harmlessly over the water, and yet they continue on, seeking out the ships. 

"Erik, release them!" Charles shouts, before rushing at him.

The fight is over almost before it begins, and Erik gets Charles under him and silences him with a single punch. He rises back to his feet just in time to catch the remaining missiles and set them back on their path. That's when Moira starts shooting. 

Erik spins around, deflecting the bullets easily. He doesn't notice Charles get to his feet behind him until it's too late—until that shout is echoing through his head and Charles is lying there in pain. He drags the bullet out and pulls Charles into his arms and the missiles all explode in the sky, but it is much too late for any of this to do any good. 

Erik knows it and Charles knows it too. "I'm sorry, but we do not," Charles says. The words break something inside of him, and this is not the response that he is supposed to have to wanting Charles beside him. He hears a faint echo of Charles' voice _I'm here_. 

Erik looks up and his eyes latch on Moira. "You did this," he growls. He reaches out to grab hold of her dog tags. 

"Erik, stop!" 

Erik looks down at Charles, but Charles hasn't spoken. He is looking across the beach. Erik follows his gaze and suddenly Charles is in two places at once, walking towards him wearing slacks and a pea coat. He's not dressed for Cuba at all and Erik's first thought is that it's Raven, but he can see her too, staring with just as much confusion at this apparition. 

"I'm not an apparition," Charles says fondly, and with a wave of his hand the Charles that Erik holds in his arms turns to sand and runs through his fingers. "He was." 

"Neat trick," Emma says, as she climbs out of the crashed submarine to join them. "You know I'd just finally got him convinced. Your timing is impeccable, as always." 

"Emma," Charles greets her coldly. "You shouldn't be here."

Erik knows that he should be putting this together faster than he is, but he keeps seeing Charles falling to the ground and he can't focus on the one in front of him. He pushes himself to his knees, running his hand across this sand, but it is as though Charles was never there. 

"You've been in my mind," Emma says, sounding unsettled. "You're getting better." 

"You haven't changed one bit," Charles tells her. "Still relying on petty illusions and party tricks, I see. Did you really think this would hold Erik here?" 

"Of course it would have," Emma says. "Just look at him." 

Charles turns to look at Erik, realizing sickly that Emma may be right. He should have gotten here sooner. Erik looks half out of his head, staring at his empty hands like he still can't figure out where Charles went. 

"I tried to be gentle, really I did," Emma tells him, tilting her head as she watches Erik fall to despair. "But it wasn't working, and fear works every time." 

"I am sorry about your sister," Charles says. "I will save her if I can." 

Emma glances up, surprised at the non sequitur. "You would—" 

"As for you," Charles continues, coming to stand in front of her, his blue eyes sparking dangerously. "I want you to get the fuck out of his head." 

Charles sends the mental equivalent of a tidal wave rushing towards her, and Emma doesn't have time to brace herself before it rips her away, sending her flying away from Erik and back onto the stretch of concrete of that New York street. 

Charles feels her stumble away and turns his attention back to Erik. He drops down into the sand beside him. "Erik, you need to look at me," he says. 

"I've done this," Erik says. "I'm responsible for all of this." 

"I need you to listen to me," Charles says, trying to stay calm. "Emma was trying to trap you here. She wanted you to relive this over and over again so you couldn't do anything else. Erik, look at me, this isn't real. This is not how it happened." 

Erik finally looks up. "Charles?" he asks. 

"Yes," Charles says, reaching out to grab Erik's arms and pull him closer. "It's me, I'm here. And Emma is gone. But I need you to tell me what she's done so I can fix it."

"You were shot," Erik says, twisting his arms free so he can drag Charles forward to examine him. Erik lifts away Charles' jacket and shirt to run a shaking hand along his unbroken spine. "How is this possible?" 

"It wasn't real," Charles says, trying to pull away so he can meet Erik's eyes. "I need you to answer my question." 

Erik swallows harshly, resting his forehead against the back of Charles' neck and not letting him go. Charles sighs and lets himself rest back against him. "Erik, it's really me." 

"I thought I'd hurt you," Erik says, gripping him tighter, before his head comes snapping up. "Where are you, right now? Where are you really?" 

"I'm with Raven and Jean," Charles says. "The other side of the city." 

Erik spins Charles around to face him. "Then Stryker's coming for you, and he has the helmet," he says urgently. "You won't be able to stop him."

"That's okay, that doesn't matter," Charles says. "But I need to know what Emma's done." 

"Send Azazel back for me," Erik says. "You're going to need my help."

"Erik, you're not listening to me," Charles says. "I need to know what she's done." 

"She made me think I'd hurt you," Erik says, as steadily as he can manage. In front of him Charles is unhurt, but he knows this is just a place in his mind. He can't trust anything here for sure. "That is the one thing that would destroy me. I would never recover from that." 

"It wasn't true," Charles says. "I'm fine. I'm here." 

"No, you're there," Erik growls. "Wake me up and send Azazel." 

"I can't do that," Charles says. "You've got a mild concussion and you're unconscious. If I force you awake I could do more damage and I won't risk that." 

"You can't fight Frost and Stryker alone, your power won't work on either of them," Erik protests. "I need you to wake me up right now. Charles, I mean it." 

Charles gives a wry grin, before leaning over to kiss his cheek. "But I've already promised to not ever use my power on you," he whispers in his ear. "Sleep well, my love." 

Then Charles opens his eyes to find himself back on solid ground beside Raven.


End file.
